Alive Again
by Meikio
Summary: Naruto has finally reached his dream, becoming 7th Hokage of the Hidden Village in the Leaves. The Village has changed significantly throughout the years, and new Shinobi have risen through the ranks. But can the Village handle another number one knucklehead ninja? (Crossover) (Credits to the art owner)
1. Chapter 1

" _Now I feel my heart beating,_

 _I feel my heart underneath my skin,_

 _And I feel my heart beating_

 _Oh, you make me feel_

 _Like I'm alive again."_

Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay

 **Naruto will always have a special place in my heart. This is my tribute to him.**

 **I do not own Naruto or Shingeki no Kyojin. Please leave reviews!**

 **Trigger warnings: abuse, smut, profanity**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Naruto awakens from his nap at his desk, his office covered in papers, books and empty Instant Ramen cups. His office was huge, with clear windows, which allowed the sunlight to enter and illuminate the room. Naruto squinted as he tried to remove the paper stuck to his sleepy face and, suddenly a pile of books (covered with more papers) was slammed on his desk by his assistant, short but feisty, Petra Ral, who was in a very cheerful mood despite catching her boss sleeping at work. Naruto rubs his head while stretching, with a displeased look on his face.

" _Good grief, more work_ ", Naruto says after yawning, while grabbing a stack of papers to start his work. " _Can a guy just get a decent nap around here_?"

" _You're not just a regular "guy" anymore, Lord Hokage_ ", Petra retorted in a nagging tone. She began to try to clean some of the office while Naruto was busy reading some of the papers that were on his desk.

" _And please don't forget that today is when you have to help Shikamaru pick the new Konoha teams_ ", Petra reminded her forgetful boss while tidying the office.

Naruto sulked as his assistant nagged him about things he should remember. " _Yeah, yeah, I won't forget. Thank you Petra._ "

She smiled and bowed before him, quickly finishing her duties and walking out of the room. Naruto read through the papers, scratching his head and continuing to sulk.

Starting to get serious about accomplishing everything on his to-do list, Naruto was deep into his paperwork, signing treaties and laws to be put into action. Then, he hears a soft knock at his door.

 _"I hope you aren't too busy for me, Lord Hokage_ ", Shikamaru says while walking into Naruto's office.

" _Shikamaru! How are you these days? How's Temari?_ ", Naruto exclaims, pushing his remaining paperwork aside, finally glad he can take a break from diplomatic affairs.

Shikamaru bows before Naruto, answering his question after, " _Yeah, she's good. She's a drag, as usual. You know how women can be_."

Naruto lets out a chuckle while Shikamaru takes a seat on the opposite side of Naruto's desk. After getting comfortable, Shikamaru pulls out a cigarette and lights it, taking a small puff before pulling it out of his mouth to finish speaking.

" _Well, how's the Academy? Anything major?_ ", Naruto sighs while pulling out the book contained with all of the information of each shinobi, new and old, in the Konoha village.

" _Well, Lord Hokage, we have a lot of fresh faces this year. We even have some top students that are members of our four clans. I think these teams will be effective_." Shikamaru explained as the cigarette continued to burn in his hand. Naruto, excited, nodded and flipped through the book with the list of recent students at the Academy.

" _Also, not to be rude, but I have already strategically arranged each team_ ," Shikamaru stated, proceeding to put the cigarette back into his mouth, while pulling out a piece of paper from his pants' pocket. " _I went ahead and did this because I'm in the classroom with these students every day and I believe that after careful consideration, each of these teams will be a success._ "

" _Just like you, Shikamaru_ ", Naruto stated, nodding with approval, " _Always ten thousand steps ahead_."

Shikamaru smiled and unfolded the paper he pulled out, switching the position of the cigarette in his mouth with his tongue, so he can talk while smoking.

" _So how about we start with the teachers, then the students paired with them?_ ", Shikamaru asked as Naruto continued flipping through the book. Naruto nodded his head in agreement as he finally got to the new students' section.

" _Okay so, the new teachers that we have for Konoha are, Rivalle Ackerman, or Levi, for short, Erwin Smith, and Hanji Zoe. All of them are exceptional Jounin and I believe that they are fit for this role_." Shikamaru stated, before puffing on the cigarette once again.

"That Levi character, he reminds me of Kakashi in so many ways", Naruto says, looking at Levi's shinobi statistics after having a flashback of when he was a Genin. "I think he would definitely be a great teacher, he's already a great Shinobi for sure."

"I agree, and Erwin Smith is very exceptional in strategic capabilities as well." Shikamaru stated, laying the paper on the edge of Naruto's desk, where he was sitting. "Hanji Zoe is a remarkable Medical Ninja, and their general knowledge of all types of jutsu and how to utilize them is stellar."

" _And since Hanji is a Medical Ninja, that increases the chance that a student on their team will pick up the practice as well_ ", Naruto nodded, while reading Erwin's and Hanji's statistics.

" _Now, the moment we all waited for_ ", Naruto stated, flipping through more stats. " _Okay, Shikamaru, tell me your plans._ "

" _Well, for Team Ackerman, I have Mikasa Ackerman, Eren Jaeger and Armin Arlert-Nara_ ", Shikamaru stated as he discussed his plan with his boss. " _I paired these three together because they already work so well as a team, all being without parents and exceptionally strong. Eren yells a lot, but he's a very passionate kid. He reminds me a bit of a young knucklehead I knew back when we were Genin_." Shikamaru smiled as he was referencing Naruto.

Naruto smiled and folded his hands into one another after reading the students' statistics. " _I like that you decided to keep them together, that works out. The only problem is…what about Eren's condition_?"

Shikamaru paused and placed his hand on his chin, as he knew of the condition Naruto was discussing.

" _I think he'll be fine, as long as he doesn't rush head first into anything out of his reach_ ", Shikamaru calmly responded, giving Naruto a little reassurance. " _Let's move on to Team Smith_."

Naruto flipped through the book, going back to Erwin Smith's statistics. He looked up at Shikamaru, waiting for him to give out his idea about Erwin's team.

" _So for Team Smith, I have paired Jean Kirstein, Connie Springer and Sasha Braus._ " Shikamaru stated. " _I chose them because each of them have specific abilities that work well together if executed right. Erwin will definitely be a good fit for this trio._ "

" _Jean resembles someone that I used to know as well_ ", Naruto sighed as he read Jean's statistics and had another flashback of life as a Genin.

Shikamaru nodded in agreement, " _As a plus, Connie's sleep paralysis Genjutsu is a work in progress, but it's good that he can even summon it at such a young age_."

Naruto nodded and flipped back to Hanji's statistics. " _Okay, now for Team Zoe_."

Shikamaru put out the remainder of his cigarette in the trashcan, before preparing to talk about the last Shinobi team. " _For Team Zoe, I paired Marco, a new student from the Aburame clan, Nanaba Lee, and Thomas Wagner."_ Naruto looked through each of the stats, skimming through them as Shikamaru continued.

" _Nanaba's Taijutsu is almost as good as Lee's, and she's only a young child_ ," Shikamaru stated, amazed by the young Kunoichi's remarkable skill.

" _Well, when you're related to Bushy Brows…_ " Naruto said, chuckling softly. He began to have memories of when he and Rock Lee used to have missions together before interrupted by Shikamaru clearing his throat.

" _Well, Shikamaru, I think your ideas are definitely great!_ ", Naruto shouted, gleaming with approval and excitement. " _You should prepare for presenting the teams to the students tomorrow morning_."

" _Thank you, Lord Hokage_ ", Shikamaru smirked while bowing before Naruto, " _And you will talk to the teachers, correct?"_

" _Sure thing, Shikamaru_ ", Naruto mumbled, knowing it would be hard to talk to them with his tight schedule. "I'll have Petra summon for them first thing in the morning."

" _Good luck, Lord Hokage_ ", Shikamaru stated while getting up from the chair, walking toward the door with his hands behind his head. He waved as he opened the door and closed it behind himself.

* * *

Early the next morning, Naruto rushed to his office, wiping the remainder of his breakfast off of his face. Petra, early as always, was there to greet him, her eyebrows furrowed because her boss was later, yet again.

The three Shinobi walked into Naruto's office, bowing before him after Petra closes the door. Naruto nods his head, smiling as they bow before him. Levi, Erwin and Hanji patiently await the news from the Hokage, with Hanji barely able to contain their excitement. They squirm around while standing and start to blush.

" _So, I figure you all know why I had Petra summon for you to meet me here_ ," Naruto began as he folded his hands into each other, elbows on his desk.

" _YES WE DO, LORD HOKAGE_!", Hanji yelled in excitement, " _WE HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO BE GENIN TEACHERS!_ "

Naruto was surprised that Hanji was so excited about being a teacher, but their enthusiasm made him feel good about this group.

" _Yes, you all have the superb leadership skills to lead our next generation of shinobi, and I couldn't be more proud of each and every one of you_." Naruto finished, while tears began to form in his eyes.

" _Tch_ ," Levi mumbled under his breath, " _Lord Hokage, don't cry again_." Levi mumble, rolling his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows.

" _So_ ," Naruto said, wiping his face to dry his tears, " _With that being said, we have already assigned to you the students that you will be leading, all thanks to Shikamaru's clear cut thinking._ "

Levi, Erwin and Hanji all stare at Naruto while he pulls out the book of Shinobi, flipping to each of their stats. Hanji almost faints because of their excitement, but Erwin pulls them together quickly. Levi rolls his eyes, embarrassed of his comrade's display in front of the Hokage.

* * *

The morning light entered Eren's room, he was wide awake due to not being able to sleep the previous night. He could not contain his excitement as he jumped out of his bed, quickly making it. He rushes to make his breakfast, which is his favorite, white rice with raw eggs and natto. After spending about thirty minutes eating, Eren hears a knock on the door. He runs quickly, wiping the evidence of a good breakfast from his face. Opening the door, he sees his best friend, Armin, the little blonde boy who lives a couple doors down from him.

" _EREN!_ ", Armin shouts, barely containing his excitement, " _WE ARE BECOMING GENIN TODAY_!"

Eren smiles and opens the door, welcoming his friend inside. " _Someone is excited, that's what I like to see!_ ", he replies with a smirk to his friend.

" _I could barely sleep from my excitement, I'm going to need a nap after school today_ ", Armin says in a silly tone, embarrassed from being excited.

Eren offers his blonde comrade some breakfast, and Armin happily obliges. Eren continues eating, while Armin pokes around in the bowl for a minute. Eren quickly notices the demeanor change in his friend and sighs.

" _Are you worried that you won't be paired with me, Armin?_ ", Eren asks, getting straight to the point.

Armin nods his head, with tears forming in his eyes. " _I just…I feel that with everything we've been through…they would consider pairing us together..that's all."_ , Armin wiped his tears from his face, staring down at his untouched breakfast that his fellow comrade gave him.

Eren sat there, watching Armin cry softly. He was thinking of way to comfort Armin but there was another knock on the door. Armin quickly wiped his face again and took a big bite of the food as Eren walked to the door to answer it, once again.

Mikasa, a mutual friend of both Eren and Armin, was at the door. Eren rolled his eyes and greeted her, " _Hi, Mikasa_."

" _MIKASA, HI_!", Armin yelled from the table, with a face covered in food. Eren rolled his eyes again and furrowed his eyebrows as he sat back at his spot at the table and Mikasa sat next to Armin, giving him a gentle hug.

" _Hi Armin, how are you? Are you ready for today_?", Mikasa asked Armin, with her attention focused on Eren. She watched him finish eating from the corner of her eye.

" _Of course!_ ", Armin exclaimed, getting excited again. Even though he knew Armin was lying, Eren let his comrade continue to eat but gave Mikasa a malicious stare the entire time.

" _What about you, Eren_?", Mikasa asked, wondering if he thought about who'd they have paired him with.

" _I don't need to tell you anything, Mikasa_ ", Eren retorts to his black haired comrade.

Mikasa squinted at Eren and retorted, " _You're right, you don't have to tell me anything."_

Eren got up, rolling his eyes again, picking up Armin's and his own bowls. He began to walk to the kitchen to clean them when Mikasa suddenly got up from the table and followed him into the kitchen area.

" _What's your issue, Eren_?", Mikasa mumbled under her breath, keeping it at a low tone so Armin couldn't hear them talking.

" _My issue is you, quite frankly_ ", Eren points out, piling the dishes in the sink.

" _Me? What the hell have I ever done to you?_ ", Mikasa mumbles, shocked that Eren would ever say anything like that to her.

" _It's simple, throughout our entire friendship, you've nagged me and pretended to be the mom of the group. I am not a little kid anymore, starting today I will be a Genin, and you will not hold me back with your nagging anymore, Mikasa Ackerman._ " Eren says, with a smirk on his face, washing his hands.

Mikasa stares at Eren, filled with shock and rage. She storms out of the room, heading for the door. Eren continues to smirk, knowing he triggered her, following behind her to close the door. Before she heads out, she takes a pause.

" _If that's how you feel, Eren_ ", she mumbled loud enough for Eren to hear only at first, " _THEN I HOPE YOU GET PAIRED WITH ME SO I CAN MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL, EREN RODENT-FACE JAEGER!_ "

Armin's face is in complete shock as Mikasa storms out of the room after yelling. Eren is still smirking and comes back into the room, sitting across from his blond comrade.

Eren chuckles to himself, thinking:

 _ **She won't be paired with me, believe it.**_


	2. Chapter 2

" _Now I feel my heart beating,_

 _I feel my heart underneath my skin,_

 _And I feel my heart beating_

 _Oh, you make me feel_

 _Like I'm alive again."_

Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay

 **Naruto will always have a special place in my heart. This is my tribute to him.**

 **I do not own Naruto or Shingeki no Kyojin. Please leave reviews!**

 **Trigger warnings: smut, profanity**

* * *

Shikamaru arrives to his office early, preparing for today's final class with his students. He stands at his desk, pulling out the instructions for the final (graduation) test. After preparing for the lesson, he reaches into his vest's pocket and pulls out the wrinkled paper containing the placements for each new Genin in the class. He opened the paper, standing over the desk while pulling out a cigarette. After lighting the cigarette and inhaling the scent, he lets the cigarette burn in his mouth while re-reading each squad formation over and over. He smirks, mumbling to himself:

 _ **Today is the day.**_

After this morning's little fiasco, Eren gets dressed while Armin waits for him outside of his room. After putting on his shoes, he packs a couple of kunai knives and ninja stars into a small, black compartment, attaching it to his hip. Before he walks out of the door, he stares at the picture of his parents on his nightstand, and he falls into a daydream about how it was before.

" _EREN, COME ON OR WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE!",_ Armin yells while knocking on the door to Eren's room. Armin's knock distracts Eren, making him rush towards the door. Armin smiles and clutches his backpack as he watches Eren lock the door to his room.

* * *

" _Tch_ ", Levi mumbles to himself, walking over to the Academy with Erwin and Hanji, " _How did I get stuck with the brat that they can't control?_ " Levi replays his squadron members over and over in his head, just how Naruto presented it to him in the meeting:

" _ **Team Ackerman: Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert-Nara, and Eren Jaeger."**_

" _Shit, how am I supposed to mold that goofy little brat?_ ", Levi thought as he followed his comrades, reaching near the entrance of the Academy.

Hanji notices that Levi is in deep thought, and tries to cheer their friend up with their usual banter.

" _Levi, I'm so jealous that you get that Jaeger kid on your team_ " they say, smirking while watching their comrade.

" _Why_?" Levi responds, playing into Hanji's banter and curious for their reasoning. The trio stops and both Erwin and Levi look up at Hanji, curious of their reasoning.

" _Just imagine, Levi. All of the research and studies I could have done. He's so perfect_!", Hanji says, blushing and holding their stomach, beginning to get themselves excited.

" _Calm down, four eyes_ ", Levi retorts, shaking his head while Erwin laughs at their excitement.

* * *

Wanting to impress Shikamaru for the last day of Academy, Eren and Armin decided that they will be early, thinking that impressing their teacher would convince him to pair them together. Armin runs to the entrance of the school while Eren casually walks, daydreaming about who would be their teacher after Shikamaru.

Armin tries to run backwards, to wait for his comrade, but he bumps into Jean Kirstein, another student at the Academy. Jean is known for his reputation of not being too friendly, due to his family abandoning him at a young age. Armin's eyes widen as he realizes who he has bumped into, but Jean was already down his throat before he could apologize:

" _Watch where you're going, your big ass head is a weapon_!", Jean yells to Armin, grabbing him by the collar.

Eren snaps out his daydream and rushes to Armin's side, " _Put him down, horse face_!"

Jean rolls his eyes and drops Armin on the ground on purpose, trying to avoid confrontation with Eren. All three boys walk inside of the classroom, going to their assigned seats and patiently waiting for the rest of the class and Shikamaru to arrive as well. A few minutes pass by, and each of their classmates arrive in the classroom, one by one. Soon, Mikasa walks into the room and stops to stare at Eren, and rolls her eyes, pretending not to be bothered by their fight from earlier.

Finally, Shikamaru enters the classroom with two other Academy teachers, Ino Yamanaka and Rock Lee. The entire class rises up from their seats to greet Shikamaru with a formal bow. Shikamaru, Ino and Rock Lee bow before the students and Shikamaru motions for all of the children to sit down.

" _Good morning, everyone_!", Shikamaru responded, standing in front of the classroom with a positive smile on his face:

" _As you all know, today is the last day of Academy for you guys, and also the day of the graduation test. So let's not waste any time! Today I've brought my fellow comrades and other teachers you may know, Ino Yamanka and Rock Lee. They will be helping me evaluate each and every one of you. If we're lucky, the Hokage may show up, too_!"

Shikamaru gestured Rock Lee to come up to the front, and Rock Lee enthusiactically bowed again in front of the students.

" _As your teacher Shikamaru stated, Ms. Ino Yamanaka and myself are also here to help evaluate you all. As you have probably heard, the graduation test is a test put together to test your overall knowledge of basic Shinobi training and jutsu. Each test is conducted the same, a jutsu is called out to you and you must complete that jutus quickly and as accurate as possible. You will be judged based on your skill and time efficiency_."

Shikamaru interjected as Rock Lee finished his statement, " _But this year, we are doing something a bit differently. Usually, students are called by alphabetical order, but this year, we are having a random choosing_!"

Ino pulls out an empty ramen bowl, while each student in the class quietly watches her. After pulling arranging the bowl on the table, Ino begins her part " _We will pick random names out of this empty ramen bowl. That way, it will be absolutely fair and ensure organization. So enough with rules, why don't we get started_?"

The three teachers sat down at the table on the side of the classroom that faced the students. Ino placed the bowl in front of Shikamaru, who was preparing the random jutsu performances on a sheet of paper. Both Rock Lee and Ino began to write down some notes on the paper provided for them, preparing for the evaluation.

* * *

The classroom became eerily quiet as Shikamaru fished around for names inside of the empty ramen bowl. Shikamaru pulls out a piece of paper, opens it, and announces the first name:

" _Marco Aburame, you're up first! Please stand in front of the class and wait for further instructions_."

Marco walks down and stands quietly in front of the classroom, awaiting instructions from the teachers. Everyone quietly focuses on the new Aburame clan member as he stares ahead at the wall in the back of the class.

Shikamaru smirks a bit, calling out the technique for Marco:

" _Marco, please perform the following Jutsu: Substitution. You have approximately five minutes to complete the substitution. Your time starts as soon as you make the first hand sign_."

Marco quietly places his hands together, making the first sign as Shikamaru begins to measure his time. He lets out a soft sigh and quickly forms the other signs, and smoke releases from the sign completion. As the smoke clears, another clone of Marco emerges. Using his ninja stars, Marco attacks his own clone by aiming them at the chest, causing the clone to vanish, and revealing a block of wood with the ninja stars still intact. The entire class claps for him as he bows before them, with Shikamaru congratulating him as he walks up to return back to his seat.

As Marco heads to his seat after finishing successfully, Jean stutters out to him, with his cheeks slightly blushing, " _G-g-good job, Marco. You are really impressive_."

Marco stops to look directly at Jean, and retorts " _Do I know you_?", slightly tilting his neck with a look of confusion on his face.

Jean sulks in his seat while blushing, embarrassed as Marco walks back to his seat and Connie Springer snickers quietly while sitting next to Jean.

* * *

Shikamaru puts his hand inside of the empty ramen bowl for the second time, pulling out two pieces of paper, and putting one back. He opens the evenly folded paper, and allows Ino to read the name:

" _Nanaba Lee, you're up! Please stand in front of the class and wait for further instructions_."

Rock Lee loudly cheers on his youngest daughter as she walks up to the front of the classroom. Nanaba's face turns a slight red, embarrassed from her father's over-the-top cheering. Her classmates snicker as Rock Lee jumps up and down from excitement, and then he quietly sits back down, in time for Ino to call out a technique for his daughter to complete.

" _Nanaba, please perform the following Jutsu: Clone Jutsu. You have approximately five minutes to successfully make one clone. The tine starts as soon as you make the first hand sign_."

Nanaba nods her head, and makes the first hand sign: Tiger, as Shikamaru begins to measure her time. She makes the other hand signs quickly and releases the Jutsu, with smoke forming as she performs it. Once the smoke clears, the clone of Nanaba stands beside her, making the exact stoic expression on its face, just like the original. Everyone claps as Nanaba bows, with her father making ridiculous noises again. Shikamaru congratulates the young kunoichi as Nanaba walks back up to her seat with a smirk on her face.

* * *

The class quietly awaits the next person's name to be called as Shikamaru shuffles the names around in the empty ramen bowl again. This time, Shikamaru decides to let one his comrades choose the next person. Eagerly, Rock Lee volunteers while reaching into the empty bowl. Rock Lee pulls out a piece of paper, quickly passing it over to Shikamaru.

Opening the folded piece of paper, Shikamaru takes a short pause before announcing the next person, closing his eyes and stroking his beard.

" _Eren Jaeger, you're up! Please come down and await further instructions."_

Eren jumps up and runs down to the front of the class, facing forward in front of his classmates. His face was flushed with excitement as he thought to himself, " _Finally, I will prove to everyone how much I have improved_!"

Everyone in the classroom watches Eren carefully as the Academy teachers prepared a task for Eren to do. Shikamaru, placing his hand around his neck, nervously looking around but keeping Eren in his peripheral vision range. Both Ino and Rock Lee began to sweat, with Rock Lee nervously gulping as he announces the first challenge:

" _Eren, please perform the following Jutsu: Clone Jutsu. You have approximately five minutes to successfully make one clone_. _The time starts as soon as you make the first hand sign_."

" _Clone Jutsu, again?! This should be easy! I'll knock them out of the park_!", Eren silently thinks to himself.

Eren performs the jutsu, properly demonstrating correct hand gestures and mumbling the hand signals under his breath. Though Eren was usually good with Clone Jutsu, something did not go as planned. Through the white smoke clouds appeared something that was not a clone…but something even worse.

Shikamaru, Rock Lee and Ino all panicked as the thing emerged from Eren's summoning. The whole entire class also looked in awe and disgust. Eren was confused with the look on everyone's faces until he glanced at his side, mouth gaping as he realized that what he summoned was not a clone of himself. What Eren summoned was a clone of the Titan that is sealed within his body.

The Titan was not huge, towering at about five feet and four inches, just about the same as Eren. The creature breathed heavily, with a menacing smile on its face. Armin began to tremble with fear, feeling scared for his own comrade, but more for the creature. " _Oh no, not again, not today. I thought Eren mastered control of it by now_ ", Armin thought to himself, completely consumed with fear.

Noticing that all of the humans were in complete awe, the Titan belted out a very loud scream, cracking its neck in addition to letting out the noise. Everyone in the class jumped to the floor as the scream painfully inflicted each person in the classroom. Eren crouched down on the ground with his hand covering his ears, and the Titan clone began screaming at an octave louder, which drove everyone in the class insane. The look on Shikamaru's face showed a sense of panic as he crouched down behind the desk with his hands, not covering his ears to protect Ino.

Luckily, Naruto (followed by an annoyed Petra), entered the classroom before the Titan could do any major damage. Using Rasengan, Naruto allows his chakra to cumulate into his wrapped up hand, running toward the screaming Titan and decapitating it from the nape of the neck. The decapitated Titan fell on to the ground, releasing steam into the classroom. Petra, still annoyed by the Hokage's lateness, open a window to allow the steam to leave the room.

" _It's okay everyone, you can come up now_ ", Naruto reassured the entire class while looking around to make sure the Titan was dead. Shikamaru, Ino and Rock Lee rise again into their seats as Petra helps the students up and calms Armin while helping him up. Naruto turns around to find a very distraught Eren, trembling behind him.

Naruto crouches down to Eren and whispers, " _It's okay, Eren. You did your best and that's what matters_ ", picking up the child and holding him into his arms. Eren quietly allows tears to run down his face as the Hokage holds him, feeling indifferent to his embrace.

Naruto takes Eren by the hand, walking to Shikamaru, " _I'll be looking after Eren for the rest of the day, Petra will take my place to observe the rest of the test_ ", and then walks out of the classroom with a distraught Eren tagging along behind him. Eren holds his head down as he walks out of the classroom, avoiding the gaze he felt from his classmates.

" _I'm sorry, everyone_ ", Eren thinks to himself as the tears stream down his face, " _This was all my fault_ ".


	3. Chapter 3

_"_ _Now I feel my heart beating,_

 _I feel my heart underneath my skin,_

 _And I feel my heart beating_

 _Oh, you make me feel_

 _Like I'm alive again."_

Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay

 **Naruto will always have a special place in my heart. This is my tribute to him.**

 **I do not own Naruto or Shingeki no Kyojin. Please leave reviews!**

 **Trigger warnings: smut, profanity**

* * *

" _I guess I have to give up becoming a Shinobi_ ", Eren whispers to himself, " _how would I ever be able to be a ninja if I can't even make a simple clone of myself?_ "

It's been three days since the Graduation test fiasco, and Eren has not stepped out of his room since. He has not slept since then either, so his usual bright face is completely red from crying and sleep deprivation. Armin came a few times to attempt to cheer him up, but each attempt failed miserably.

He sulks while completely wrapped underneath his bed covers. His anxiety did not allow him to sleep, only to lie in bed and sulk. He kept his eyes closed, in case sleep did eventually get to him.

Naruto also makes a visit to the young boy's room, hoping that treating him to some ramen would cheer Eren up. Eren did allow Naruto to come inside of his room, but declined the Hokage's offer to have dinner together.

Since visiting Eren, Naruto suddenly fell in a little funk himself, reminiscing the times where he felt the emptiness and pain that Eren must now feel, especially being a jinchuuriki himself. Though times have definitely changed since then for the young Hokage, being a jinchuuriki is still ostracized in the Shinobi world. Especially in Eren's case, because little is known about the beast that is sealed within the young brown-haired boy. The fact that Eren's power is so new and unpredictable also created a fear for many people within the Village.

* * *

For the first time in a while, Naruto was in his office before Petra, which shocked his young assistant. Naruto was standing and looking out of the window, thinking about how he could help Eren.

Petra walks further into the Hokage's office, slowly bowing and interrupting his daydreaming. " _Good morning, Lord Hokage_ ".

Naruto turns around, greeting his assistant while sitting at his desk," _Good morning, Petra_."

" _Lord Hokage, I don't mean to be this direct, but are you thinking about what happened Eren_?", Petra asked her boss, with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Naruto looked up from his work and into his assistant's soft brown eyes, and though she was right about what's bothering him, he decided to deny it, " _No, I'm just overloaded with Hokage-related things, sorry if I worried you, Petra_ ", his tone was so monotone and dry, but it was convincing enough for Petra to believe him.

Naruto is deep in his thoughts, though attempting to complete some paperwork when he hears a knock on the door. Shikamaru opens the door, peeking inside of the office, " _Lord Hokage, I apologize for the abrupt interruption, but do you have a minute to talk_?"

Naruto nods his head, pushing aside his paperwork as Shikamaru walks into the office with Rock Lee. Both Shinobi men bow before Naruto before sitting in the seats on the opposite sides of his desk.

Cutting right to the chase as usual, Rock Lee speaks up as soon as he sits down, " _Lord Hokage, we know that this may sound a little out of the ordinary, but we are requesting approval from you to allow Eren Jaeger to retake the Graduation exam._ "

Naruto's soft blue eyes widen with this request, relieved that he didn't have to make the first move. " _Sure, I think Eren deserves a second chance of course, but how would you test him that is fair to the other students as well_?"

Shikamaru smirked, closing his eyes before replying. " _Well, see, I thought about how we would be able to do it in a way that is fair for everyone. I am working on this with Eren's squad leader, Levi Ackerman."_

Shikamaru pauses, trying to find an easy way to explain his plan. " _The plan is that Eren must successfully complete a task that Levi has prepared for his entire team. If Eren succeeds, Levi will give him the clear to become move on to Genin level. If Eren fails, he would have to stay at the Academy for another six months, with Rock Lee as his teacher_."

Naruto glanced at his bushy-browed companion, knowing that even though Rock Lee is a kind spirit, he is tough-as-nails as a teacher. He had no doubt in his mind but our Naruto is notorious for asking follow-up questions. "So, it's clear that we all are on the same page, but what about Levi? He doesn't seem like the type to willingly give into allowing second chances."

" _Lord Hokage, I assure you, everything is going to be fine_ ", Rock Lee retorted while giving the Hokage his infamous smile and thumbs up motion. Naruto smiled back, relaxing now that he knew Eren would be given an opportunity after all.

Suddenly, the door to Naruto's office flung open, which shocked all three of the men inside. Walking through the entrance, a tall, blonde-haired kid stood inside of the office, with his hands folded upwards behind his back. His outfit was a black jacket and matching black pants and Shinobi sandals. The black jacket had vertical red stripes on each sleeve. Naruto placed his head in his palm, embarrassed by his son's lack of respect.

" _Well if it isn't Boruto? Long time, no see, eh_?", Shikamaru smirked as he waved at the defiant blonde.

Boruto looked at Shikamaru and Rock Lee out of the glimpse of his peripheral vision, turning around and bowing before all three men. " _Excuse me, but I need to talk to my dad. Sorry for the interruption_."

Using that as a cue, Shikamaru and Rock Lee quickly get up from their seats, heading toward the open door. Both bow and wave before leaving, closing the door and allowing Naruto to have some private time with his only son.

* * *

Eren has been in bed the entire morning, his body finally allowing him to sleep for the first time in three days. His arms were covered in bruises, due to sneaking out at night and practicing the cloning jutsu repeatedly. Each time, his clones emerged perfectly, aside from his exhaustion. " _What went wrong then_?", the brown-haired Shinobi thought to himself as he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily as he looked up at the night sky. Tears began to stroll down his face as he watched the moon move from one side of the sky to the other.

As a part of Shikamaru and Rock Lee's plan, Might Guy (who literally has not aged despite his black hair now being a light gray color), knocks on the door to Eren's room. He puts his ear to the door, listening to determine if Eren was awake or not. The room was completely silent, but Guy could feel the vibrations of Eren's light snoring.

" _Guess this is going to be easier than I thought_ ", Guy mumbles to himself while smirking. Using his amazing upper body strength, Guy slams his shoulder into the door, causing the lock to tear from the hinges. Despite the loud sound that Guy just created, Eren is still sound asleep due to his sleep deprivation.

" _Wow, this kid is out. Glad there wasn't a fire or anything_ ", Guy whispers to himself while walking over to Eren's sleeping body. With one quick movement, Guy lifts Eren's body from the bed and swings the young boy's body over his broad shoulders. Then, he heads out of the door, closing it behind himself, attempting to fix the broken lock, but failed.

Guy runs out to the outskirts of the town, near the newly built arena that is infamous for holding the annual Chunin exams. Near the arena is an area of barren land covered in grass, with a few bushes and trees around. In the middle of the grassy area lies three huge pieces of wood that are covered in scratches, possibly from kunai knives. As Guy arrives with a sleeping Eren to the barren land, Shikamaru, Rock Lee and Levi all arrive at the same time, greeting the older teacher.

" _Guy Sensei! I see you have arrived unscathed, seems like you didn't have much of a struggle at all_ ", Rock Lee says, puzzled while greeting his former teacher, examining Guy's face and body for any signs of a possible struggle.

" _Well, he didn't put up much of a fight. He seems as if he has been fighting his sleep for a while and it finally got him_ ", Guy replies as he gently places Eren's sleeping body next to the middle block of wood.

After successfully retrieving Eren, the trio bows to Guy as he leaves them to continue with their plan.

" _Good luck to all of you! I hope Eren is successful!",_ Guy yells out before disappearing. After Guy leaves, all three Shinobi turn around to the wood, sitting and patiently waiting for the brown haired boy to wake up.

* * *

It's late in the afternoon and Eren finally wakes up, yawning and disoriented. He looks around to figure out his surroundings, but is frantic and starts panicking.

" _I see you're finally awake, sleepyhead_ ", Shikamaru replied, smiling down at his student.

Eren rubs his head, squinting from the bright sunlight that gleamed on his face. He looked around, noticing that Levi and Rock Lee where also standing above him. He also noticed that he was not in his bedroom.

" _Where am I? How did I get here? Shikamaru-sensei, what's going on_?", Eren shouted, caught up in panic and felt his heart pounding out of his chest. Before Shikamaru could reply to any of his questions, Eren got up and started to run away.

Suddenly, the young brown-haired boy felt a sharp kick to his chest. Eren fell to the ground, clenching his chest, with tears rolling down his warm face. He looked up to see a black-haired, short man with a blue mask covering most of his face staring down at him.

" _You bigmouthed ass brat, your teacher was speaking to you_ ", Levi grumbled with annoyance, " _He should have failed you, maybe that would teach you to have some manners_."

Eren stared up at the man, trembling with fear. Shikamaru walked towards Eren, giving Levi a "thank you" nod. " _Eren, you are not in any trouble or danger, whatsoever. We came here to talk to you_."

Shikamaru sat down on the soft, green grass, next to Eren, taking a cigarette from his vest pocket and placing it in his mouth.

" _So, here's the deal Mr. Jaeger_ ", Shikamaru finally replied to after taking a moment to light his cigarette, " _After much consideration, we are allowing you to retake the Graduation Exam_."

Eren looked up at his teacher, wide-eyed with tears forming in his eyes again. He could not believe that he was getting another chance to fulfill his dreams.

" _But, there is one slight condition to this_ ", Eren's eyebrows furrowed as he heard the word "condition", he should have known that there would be a catch.

" _What's the 'condition'_?", Eren softly grumbled, rolling his eyes while still laying on the soft grass underneath him.

" _Well, the condition is actually in two separate parts_ ", the notable Nara clan teacher replied, " _the first part is that you have to successfully complete the task that is given to you, but the task will not be from me. It will be from Mr. Levi Ackerman, the man that gave you the little nudge in your chest earlier_."

Eren trembled in fear again, knowing that this task will not be a walk in the park if that short gremlin was the one behind it.

" _The second part is only going to occur if you fail Mr. Ackerman's task_ ", Shikamaru smirked while watching Eren tremble, " _the second part is that if you fail, you will have to repeat at the Academy for a half a year, but I will not be your teacher. Rock Lee-sensei will_."

Eren squirmed at the thought of Rock Lee being his teacher. A day of drills, push-ups and running around the village. He made a face at the thought of being turned into a Rock Lee Jr.

" _So brat, I would think carefully of the situation at hand_ ," Levi chimed in to his future student, " _if you don't want to end up at the Academy again, you'd better hope that you pass this task._ "

Eren sat up, looking Levi in the eyes as he furrowed his eyebrows, " _I WILL pass this task and I WILL become a Genin, even if it kills me!_ "

Shikamaru and Rock Lee chuckled while Levi rolled his eyes and walked away. Eren got up and began to do push-ups, "training" for Levi's task. Rock Lee began to do push-ups beside the young Shinobi, encouraging him with every successful push-up.

" _And another thing_ ", Levi replied not stopping to even look back at Eren, holding up two fingers with his right hand, " _You only have_ _ **two**_ _days to complete it, so good luck_ ".

* * *

Eren wakes up from his dream, in the bed back in his room. He looks around, noticing the picture of him and his squad members and his blue and silver headband next to it. He then realized that he had been dreaming.

He laid his head back on his pillow, thinking to himself, " _it was only a dream, but that was the first time I met Levi-sensei. It's amazing how much time has changed since back then_."

The young brown-haired Genin then got up from his bed, walking towards the calendar that is nailed to the wall next to his headband. On the calendar, today's date was circled in red, with the words ' **CHUNIN EXAM** ' written neatly inside of the small box surrounding the date.


	4. Chapter 4

" _Now I feel my heart beating,_

 _I feel my heart underneath my skin,_

 _And I feel my heart beating_

 _Oh, you make me feel_

 _Like I'm alive again."_

Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay

 **Naruto will always have a special place in my heart. This is my tribute to him.**

 **I do not own Naruto or Shingeki no Kyojin. Please leave reviews!**

 **Trigger warnings: smut, profanity**

* * *

The sun barely kissed the sky as fully dressed Eren began to neatly organize his things in order to pack them (we can thank Levi for installing his cleaning methods in his students). A variety of items covered Eren's bed, including: kunai knives, smoke bombs, extra clothes, sleeping materials, dried (portable) ramen, etc. He was in the middle of packing when there was a light knock on the door to his apartment. He quickly wiped the sweat off of his face, running to the door and opening it. Towering over the door was Naruto, smiling so big, as if he were the one going to participate in the Exams instead of Eren. Before Eren could bow and give the traditional greeting, Naruto quickly grabbed the boy's head and dragged him out of the room. The Hokage ran off with Eren in his hands, jumping off on and off buildings, until they finally reached their destination, the ramen noodle shop about that was located about 10 minutes from the Academy. Before Naruto could even put him down, a fuming Eren was already pushing himself out of Naruto's chest. " _Lord Hokage! What is wrong with you? I was getting ready for the Exams!_ ", Eren yelled as he and the Hokage walked into the small, uncrowded shop.

Naruto chuckled and ordered two bowls of ramen each for himself and Eren, rubbing his hands together. The honorable Hokage was so focused on food that he ignored Eren entirely. Eren rolled his eyes and sat down, his mouth watering as the smell of the food enticed him. " _Sorry about kidnapping you, Eren_ ", Naruto mumbled as he tapped his fingers on the table, " _I wanted to spend a moment with you before you went to the stadium for the Exams, I know Levi probably had something planned for you and your teammates and I didn't want to interrupt that_."

Eren sighed, " _It's okay, Lord Hokage. Levi-sensei didn't have anything special planned for us, just morning drills probably_." The young shinobi pulled some of the paper off of his chopsticks, " _but I do need to get back as soon as we are done_ ", Eren insisted.

Naruto nodded as the waitress brought their food, placing a total of four bowls in front of both men. Naruto and Eren both held their hands together and thanked the waitress and the shop owner for the food before devouring their breakfast.

After eating, Naruto walked Eren back to his apartment so the young shinobi can finish packing for the Exams. On the way back, Eren looked a little nervous and Naruto patted his head, showing that he understood how Eren felt.

" _I have complete faith in you, Eren. I know you will do well today. Believe it!_ ", Naruto said as he grinned and rubbed Eren's head with his left arm.

" _I'm not scared of failing, Lord Hokage_ ," Eren slowly replied, folding his arms across his stomach. " _I'm scared that I will be overwhelmed and end up screwing everything up. I don't want Misaka or Armin to have to re-take this all because of me._ "

" _Eren_ ", Naruto murmured, " _I can't tell you which path to take or any of that scrambled riddle stuff that the Hokages before me were excellent at_." Naruto paused before continuing his thoughts, rubbing his neck with his prosthetic arm. " _Truth is, I'm still getting used to this myself, but I can tell you that you are an excellent student and teammate, and a very dedicated shinobi. Those attributes alone won't save you, but I think they are definitely worth having on the road to becoming a Chunin_."

Naruto looked down only to see that Eren was running ahead of him, towards the apartment building. The tall blonde looked down at the wristwatch on his arm to see that it was time for the young ninja teams to begin heading towards the stadium entrance. He smirked and decided to walk in a different direction, the path to his office where he also needed to prepare for the Exams.

* * *

Eren ran to the barren land that lies between the outskirts of town and the new stadium for the Chunin Exams. Misaka and Armin were already standing at a tree, waiting for Eren to decide to show up. Armin greeted his best friend with a handshake, while Misaka's face showed that she was annoyed with Eren's tardiness. " _Wow, thanks for finally showing up Eren, glad you could make it_ ", Misaki retorted as she greeted Eren, with a hint of sarcasm. Eren rolled his eyes and sat down to catch his breath, looking around for Levi-sensei. " _He hasn't showed up yet, we've been here waiting for you both_ ", Armin replied to his confused teammate.

As the sun began to travel across the sky, the trio sat next to some bushes as other teams began to gather towards the entrance. A few moments later, a shadow appeared over them, blocking the emerging sunlight. " _Sorry to keep you waiting, brats_ ", the raven-haired teacher said to his students, covering his face from the sun. " _I had to prepare an emergency plan for all of you just in case things went awry during the Exams. After that, I prepared a three-day supply of food and drills that you all should practice while I'm not around, to keep you grounded and ready for anything_ ". The trio looked at each other with confused faces as their teacher gave Armin a woven basket filled with all of Levi's "emergency necessities". " _Sensei, isn't the point of the Exams is to see how we can survive on_ _ **our own**_?", Mikasa retorted to the masked man as she rolled her eyes, seeming impatient.

" _Before you all begin the Exams, please remember to use your head when things get difficult, especially you, Eren_ ", Levi calmly stated, ignoring Mikasa while looking in the eyes of each member in his team. " _The Chunin Exams is the last place where you want to blackout and end up making life-threatening mistakes. Other than that, good luck to all three of you, I am sure you will succeed. See you in five days._ "

The three students shrugged and bowed to their teacher before gathering their things and walking towards the entrance gate. They were used to Levi's detached way of showing concern. Eren sweats a little, getting nervous, yet excited, to start the Exams, with Levi's simple advice replaying in his inner conscience.

* * *

Team Ackerman finally arrives at the entrance gate, as with the other Shinobi teams that have gathered to participate in this year's Chunin Exams. Some of the other teams include Team Smith (Jean, Connie and Sasha), Team Zoe (Marco, Nanaba and Thomas), a team from the Village Hidden in the Sand, and a couple of teams from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Outside of the entrance gate stood three figures, two males and one female. The female proctor began to speak first, going over the official rules of the Chunin Exams.

While their students were receiving instructions from the proctors, many of the teachers began to head towards the dark, hidden entrance of the stadium, to prepare for the second-half of the exams. Levi held back, feeling a presence that was incredibly familiar. The shinobi pulls his eye patch down, revealing his solid, blood-red Sharigan, located in the left eye and the pale lavender Byakugan in the right eye. Before he could focus, the masked shinobi blocked an attack from a 6-ft figure, using the infamous Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven. Once Levi's deflection cleared, the figure reveals itself, a man, also with a mask, that covers his ears, chin and his neck. The man was wearing a long-sleeved, khaki jacket with matching, long khaki pants. Over the khaki suit, the man wore a long, white cape-like covering. He began to chuckle as Levi stood up, practically lifting his guard a little bit.

" _Long time no see, little nephew_ ", the deep voice echoed through the empty, barren land. Levi furrowed his eyebrows, but did not allow himself to get flustered by the familiar man that stood before him.

" _Silence, eh? That's no way to greet your uncle, I'm sure the Byakugua clan elders taught you better than that_ ", Kenny continues as he chuckles under his breath.

" _I thought when filth was exiled, it stayed out_ ", Levi retorted to his estranged uncle, preparing himself with the Gentle Fist stance. Kenny shook his head as he looked at Levi, his smile turning into a frown.

" _I'm not here for Byakygua trash or Konoha anymore, I'm here as a full-fledged member of the Village Hidden in the Sound, now_ ", Kenny snarled at his only nephew, " _besides, I shouldn't be wasting any more time with you here, I have more important business to handle_."

" _Like to spy on Eren, perhaps_?", Levi questioned as he continued to stand with the Gentle Fist stance, staring into the man's face.

Kenny chuckled again as he began to walk towards the hidden entrance to the stadium. With that gesture, Levi remains behind as he waits until Erwin and Hanji show up to discuss his uncle's appearance with them, covering up the Sharigan half of his face again.

* * *

With all of the shinobi teams gathered at the entrance, the first proctor, a short-haired, blue-eyed woman, Rico Brzenska stood before them. " _Listen up, because I'm only explaining this once_ ", Rico stated while adjusting her glasses, waiting for complete silence so she can begin to explain the examination rules and regulations. " _My name is Rico Brzenska and my sole purpose here is to make sure this year's Chunin Exams run as smoothly as possible_. _Please allow me to effectively succeed at my job by following instructions_ ", Rico stated, as she looked at all of this year's participants.

" _This year, the Chunin Exams will be held at this stadium, where you will be tested on your current abilities to determine if you will become a Chunin. We have three stages: written, survival and physical, which I'm sure your teachers have explained to you before_ ", Rico paused to readjust her glasses once again. " _Following the previous years, the test will be conducted the same as before, but this year we have a couple of twists that were installed to give you the ultimate experience. Please follow all rules and regulations given to you and your teammates at each and every stage of the exams. Also, please understand that you and your teammates can be ejected from the stadium at any point of the examination period, with or without an explanation given_."

As Rico continued to cover the rules, Eren drifted off and his attention focused on the other teams, allowing himself to check out the "competition". He ignored the other two Konoha teams, marking them as "easy". He observed the two teams from the Village Hidden in the Mist, and marked them as "to be determined", seeing that this was the first year that the small village even sent students to participate in the Exams. Next, he immediately noticed the ninja from the Village Hidden in the Sand, particularly the blonde-haired, blue-eyed kunoichi that was on the team. She wore a black-knit long shirt, with fish net-like pattern that began at her neck, and black tights under the shirt. She carried a huge, black fan on her back, the fan was almost the same size as her. Her ice-blue eyes stared back at Eren, it seems that she was studying him as well. Her teammates seem more distant, both dressed in traditional Sand ninja attire and carrying huge weapons on their backs, but had huge straw hats covering their faces. Both unknown teammates were incredibly tall and bulky compared to Eren as well, which made the brown-haired ninja a little bit more nervous. He marked the Sand ninja team as "hard".

" _Now that the rules are covered, let's begin shall we_?", Rico stated with a slight smirk on her face, as Eren shifted his focus back to the proctor. " _The written portion of the Exams will begin in approximately seven minutes. Please follow the signs to guide you towards the testing room. Good luck to all of you!_ "

* * *

The teams all began to rush into the bottom level of the newly built stadium, pushing and shoving themselves into the small corridors. Mikasa quickly grabbed both Eren and Armin, practically tugging them while running towards the huge classroom that was reserved for the written exam. With the rush of other people becoming intense, Mikasa lifted her teammates into the air, and leaped off of the walls, practically landing in front of the classroom entrance a minute before the rush of young ninja overwhelmed the trio. Eren and Armin quickly jumped out of Mikasa's arms and found a row of three seats in the back of the classroom while Mikasa took a second to catch her breath, slowly walking to the area with her teammates.

The other teams began pouring into the room, including the Sand ninja that Eren spotted moments before. Eren placed his head on the cold table for a few seconds to regain his focus, but was interrupted by a familiar voice that he knew he hated instantly. " _I didn't know that they allowed failures to take the Chunin Exams? Guess this will be easier than I thought!_ ", Jean snickered as he and his teammates, Sasha and Connie, sat in the empty row right below Team Ackerman. Connie smiled at Eren and Armin before sitting down and Sasha stared at Mikasa while finishing a bag of barbeque chips she had opened before the rush. " _Not now, Assface, I'm busy_ ", Eren retorted before laying his head back on the desk. " _Besides, you should be more worried about how you disappoint your mom with that ugly face she has to see every morning._ "

Armin, Mikasa and Sasha all chuckled, while a mysterious, bald man appeared before the students. The room became extremely silent as the man walked to the front desk and faced the chalkboard instead of the examinees. On the board, the man wrote " _ **Time Now: 8:00 AM. Time Remaining: 1 hour and 15 minutes**_ ", and after placing the chalk down, he placed his hands behind his back once more. The room began have a more serious aura to it, as Eren quietly gulped while lifting his head from the desk again.

* * *

Gaara finally arrived to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, with his assistant, Krista, to assist Naruto with hosting this year's Chunin Exams. It was the first time in a while (since both he and Naruto were Genin) that both Villages decided to host the Exams together again. Gaara had a smirk on his face as he spotted the tall blonde Hokage, in traditional Kage wear, with Hinata and Himawari all smiling and waving, welcoming the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand.

Hinata and Himawari immediately grabbed Krista, beginning to show her around while he and Gaara got caught up. Naruto carried the Kazekage's luggage as they walked to the hotel where Gaara and Krista would be staying.

" _You know, Naruto_ ", Gaara began, while looking down at his feet, " _things have been a little too quiet, I'm not sure if I'm used to prosperity, but it seems that things have almost been too good_."

" _Well, Gaara, you should get used to it. Prosperity is a good thing_ ", Naruto replied, smiling while waving at his fellow villagers. " _It's the first time we've seen each other in years, and both of our countries are at peace, within and with each other, it's good to enjoy this while it lasts_ ".

Gaara smiled, insisting that Naruto was right while observing the people of the Leaf Village. Suddenly, there was an intense pain in the Kazekage's stomach, the severity of the pain caused him to crouch down to the ground. Naruto walked back to help Gaara up, assuming that he was tired from travel, but then, red-haired man began to vomit blood upon the dirt road leading up to the hotel. Naruto panicked, calling out for someone to help as Gaara began to slowly lose consciousness.

* * *

 **Sorry for the lack of updating, haven't been motivated much.**

 **New chapter up soon!**

 **~ Nami**


	5. Chapter 5

" _Now I can feel my heart beating_  
 _I feel my heart underneath my skin,_  
 _And I feel my heart beating,_  
 _Oh, you make me feel,_  
 _Like I'm alive again."_  
 **Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay**  
 **Naruto will always have a special place in my heart. This is my tribute to him.**  
 **I do not own Naruto or Shingeki No Kyojin. Please leave reviews**

* * *

The severity of the Exams began to take its toll as all of the Shinobi groups entered to the written exam. The palms of Eren's hands began to create moisture as he focused on the bald man." _Sheesh, I didn't even know there would be a written exam, fuck me", he thought to himself as he rushed up from his seat. "Damn, what are they going to ask? How to throw a damn kunai knife?_ ", he retorted to himself in his deep thoughts. Suddenly, Eren felt a slight pain in his throat. The bald man did not speak for several minutes as all the students were seated and waiting for instructions. Around the room, there were several Chunin shinobi, males on the left side and women on the right. All of these Chunin were dressed in formal ninja wear for the occasion. Rico, flustered from the excitement and out of breath, also entered the room to stand beside the bald man.

* * *

There was a race against the clock as Naruto rushed Gaara to the emergency room. Gaara was almost at complete unconsciousness, still coughing up dark red blood as the blonde Hokage carried him. Naruto panicked as he watched his friend struggle to hold on to him, pleading with Gaara to stay alive. " _Gaara, don't give up on me! We'll get you help, just stay with us!_ " Hinata was already ahead of him, bursting through the emergency room doors and demanding that the nurses get a room for the Kazekage. Naruto entered behind her, practically dropping Gaara to the ground as the nurses rushed to assist him. _**"Please go get her!**_ ", the head nurse shouted to her assistants as the red-haired man fell into her arms. All of the assistants nodded and ran to the back of the hospital as the second head nurse ran the room, Hinata at her side.

* * *

Outside of the exam stadium, in a medium-sized waiting room, all of the teachers of the participating students gathered to discuss the exam itinerary, changes to each section of the exam, and ways that the teachers can assist their students without cheating. Levi, Hanji and Erwin entered the room, as other teachers from the various village-nations were already present and chatting about their students' accomplishments. The group spotted an old friend, Mike, who volunteered to teach Shinobi at the Village Hidden in the Mist. Erwin walked to the refreshments table to pour himself and his comrades some coffee so they can catch up. As the teachers gathered, Shikamaru and Rock Lee entered the room, walking between the groups of admiring former students turned teachers. Besides being the head teachers at the Academy, both Shikamaru and Rock Lee took on the role of being the coordinators of the Chunin Exams hosted at Kohona this year. The room fell silent as the coordinators stood, all of the teachers giving them their full attention.

" _Thank you for coming, and welcome to the Chunin Exams! If you did not already know, my name is Rock Lee and I am a lead teacher at the Academy here in Konoha_ ", Rock Lee began, holding up his infamous peace sign. _"As the students are taking the written exam, this room is where we will gather until the portion is over. We will meet in a different location for the Survival Exam. For now, we will go over some information and rules that apply to teachers during the Exam period. If you have any questions or concerns at any point, please direct them to myself or Shikamaru_." Rock Lee bowed to the room full of teachers as he finished his statement and redirected the attention to his comrade. Shikamaru nodded to Rock Lee and cleared his throat before he began speaking.

" _I'm assuming you all already know who I am, but for those that do not, my name is Shikamaru Nara, and I am also a lead teacher at the Academy, as well as coordinator for this year's Chunin Exams. Now, I'm not the one for formality, so let's cut to the chase, shall we?_ " Shikamaru's generally neutral expression changed to a more serious look. Looking across the room, he folded his arms across his chest and continued to speak. " _Similar to past exams, the theme of this year's exam is Teamwork. We will be evaluating how your students work well as a team, as well as individually. Unlike the latter exams, however, there will be more of a twist to the exams themselves this year. First, we will dive into the major changes, and then we will go over the rules for teachers._ " The energy in the room immediately shifted, as the teachers were curious yet frightened to know what Shikamaru has added to the exams this year. " _Looks like party's finally starting_ ", Levi retorted to himself, deep in thought.

* * *

The head nurses began carrying Gaara's body on to an available stretcher, with the assistance of Naruto and Hinata. The group began to race to an empty room, as the head nurses began to check Gaara's vitals. Gaara's heart rate was drastically dropping, and he continued to cough up an extreme amount of blood. Back in the waiting room, a flustered Naruto was pacing back and forth across the room as his wife sat in the chair, reassuring her husband that everything will be okay. Naruto continued to pace back and forth before the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. A few minutes passed with the sound of footsteps drastically getting louder and louder until they finally reached the waiting room corridor where Naruto and Hinata were. Walking towards the Hokage, in her traditional wear, long blonde/gray hair and infamous huge chest, was no one other than Former Hokage, Lady Tsunade. Her back was slightly hunched and she needed to use a cane, due to old age, but she still looked as if she did when Naruto was a young Shinobi. The former Hokage spent her days in the hospital, assisting the doctors and mentoring new medical kuniochi when possible. Naruto's reaction to seeing his former mentor was not warm, due to the circumstances. If Tsunade had to step in, then things were serious. Despite that, he and Hinata still exchanged the traditional greeting bow, and the old woman bowed to the new Hokage in return. " _Grandma Tsunade…_ " Naruto began to speak, with his voice cracking.

 _"Is Ga-….. Gaara going to be okay?"_

* * *

Eren's heart began to race as the bald man turned from the board to face the student. He stood, quietly, with a stoic expression on his face for an agonizing five minutes, which drove Eren insane. " _Listen up, squirts_ ", the man began to speak, his speech slurring a little. " _My name is Praxis, and I am this year's written exam proctor, I am honored to meet each and every one of you._ " The man paused, took out a flask, sipping it before continuing his speech. " _This year, as with every year, the written exams are the first section of a series of tests that you will endure during the next week. The goal of the exams is to test your ability to work independently, as well as in a team, under pressure._ " The aloofness in the proctor's voice put Eren at ease, as the rest of students began to quietly giggle at their inebriated proctor. The Chunin around the room began to roll their eyes, some placing their faces in their hands from secondhand embarrassment. " _So, now that the tensions have eased, let's begin! The rules of this part of the exam are similar to past exams, as you must answer all 10 of the questions provided in order to pass. You are required to do what you must in order to obtain the information, just don't get caught."_

The bald man paused to take yet another sip of the mysterious liquid in his flask. He let out a loud hiccup that caused the students to break out in quiet giggles yet again, and the tension shifted back into seriousness as the proctor began to speak.

" _If you are caught, you and your teammates will be expelled from the exam and escorted from the room. The twist is that if expelled, you will immediately be prohibited from taking the Chunin Exams again for the next **FIVE years**. The Chunin will pass out the exams and two pencils. Once every student has received the items, I will start the timer and we will begin. Good luck to all of you."_

Each young Genin was given an exam sheet, with 10 questions and two pencils. After the distribution, Praxis took another sip out of his flask and clicked his pocket timer. " _The timer has started, you may begin!_ "he yelled as each student picked up their pencils. Eren nervously looked down and began to read the first question:

 _ **Q1: When a Shinobi is participating in a battle using a kunai knife, what measurement below is the most accurate in terms of how he should throw the knife in order to hit his target successfully?**_  
 _ **a. 10in**_

 _ **b. 15in**_

 _ **c.17in**_

 _ **d. None of the above**_

 _"WOW! What the fuck is this shit? WHO wrote this?_ " Eren thought in his head as he panicked. " _WHO the fuck knows this? Does Armin even know the answer to this stupid question_?" Eren began to frantically pull at his hair, nervous to read the other nine questions if he couldn't even answer the first. The other students around him were already writing against the clock, most using their hidden skills to cheat from each other. Mikasa used her sleep paralysis genjustu to put a fellow shinobi in front of her to sleep and copy the answers unnoticed. Armin actually knew the answer from spending majority of his free time at the Konoha Library and doing research on ninja techniques. While answering, Armin began to wonder if Eren was freaking out, due to the nature of the questions. " _Eren doesn't know any of this, we actually might fail if he doesn't cheat_ ", the blonde thought to himself, worried about his comrade.

* * *

" _The exams, as you all know them, are sectioned into three parts. The first part is the written portion_ ", Shikamaru began, continuing to fold his arms across his chest. " _The second part of the exams is a mission through the Forest of Death, to test teamwork and strategy. The third section is a tournament to test strength and abilities_ ". Shikamaru took a short pause before continuing, and all of the teachers grew anxious. " _The twist, this year, is that we will have your shinobi battle against the remaining Titans in the Forest of Death. Each titan will have a scroll that your team will have to get after they have successfully killed the beast. Each team will have a requirement to kill enough titans to get 3 different scrolls. If they do not successfully kill the titan, the beast will regenerate and your students will be in danger._ "

Several of the teachers began to panic as Shikamaru continued, and Hanji's face began to glow a soft red blush, excited as they imagined their students killing titans. " _The scrolls each will contain vital information they need to get through the tournament. IF a shinobi team opens a scroll before they reach the tower in the forest, they will be eliminated from the exams. This will be a test of respect and determination as well. Any questions/concerns before we move on?_ " Shikamaru added, smirking after seeing their reactions to the news.

* * *

" _Lord Hokage, how many times have I told you that I'm not your damn grandma_ ", Lady Tsunade retorted, clearly ignoring Naruto's question. " _You haven't seen me in MONTHS, you look like you haven't been eating and you barge into MY hospital demanding to know everything? Yeah, you haven't changed a bit"_ , she scoffed as she rolled her eyes. Her slight at the young Hokage didn't trigger him as it normally would have, as she tried to make light of the situation at hand. The truth, however, was that Tsunade herself did not know if the Kazekage would actually pull through. The head nurses were still determining the cause of Gaara's current state while sustaining his life with constant CPR revivals. The situation simply did not look good and seemed to be getting worse. Along with the aforementioned problems, Gaara was losing a huge amount of blood in such a little amount of time, along with other health complications that it seemed the Kazekage was dealing with before the incident.

" _Naruto_ ", Tsunade began, moving her arms to place her fingers on both Hinata and Naruto's shoulders. " _I'll be honest with you both. Gaara's condition seems to be worsening with his current state. He's only been here for an hour and we've already had to revive him three times. I'll need more time to see what caused this and treatment. Until then, we just have to hope that he holds on while we do this."_

Naruto's soft blue eyes began to fill with tears as he heard the news. Hinata looked up to her husband, grabbing his and Lady Tsunade's hands, quietly whispering, " _he'll make it, Naruto-kun, just believe it._ "

* * *

Levi and Erwin nervously exchanged looks to each other, as Hanji began squirming from excitement. A flustered Mike and the other Shinobi teachers all raised their hands quickly, all eager to voice their concerns. " _Your questions will be answered in an orderly fashion_." Rock Lee interjected, allowing Shikamaru to light a cigarette. " _Let's start with the blonde gentleman here in the front_ ", Lee followed up, pointing to Mike.

" _Um, yeah Mike here. Just an FYI, humans have not fought Titans in decades since their decline. Our students are a part of the first generation where titans are not an actual threat to humans. No disrespect here, but how in the absolute fuck are they supposed to know how to kill a titan?_ " Mike retorted with annoyance in his voice. All of the other teachers (except Hanji) nodded in agreement with his question and began to whisper in the background.

Rock Lee's tone became serious as he cleared his throat to answer Mike's question.

* * *

 **I finally a new laptop after almost 2 years! It's been a while and I apologize!**

 **Nami~**


End file.
